Reviving Memories Chapter 1: The Scott Siblings Legend Rating: PG-13 (Mostly because future chapters hint at a sexual status, other than that, cursing) @~@~@~@~@~@ Summer. The one word on every child's lips as the last days of school slowly tick by. Months had turned to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours, hours to minutes, and finally minutes to seconds. The fifth grade class of PS: 118 leaned forward in their desks, itching for some excitement, waiting as the seconds slowly ticked by, waiting for their beloved summer vacation would begin. Ten seconds to go. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. They adjusted themselves uncomfortably in their seats. Five. Four. Three. The seconds seemed to go backwards. Two. One. RING! The bell finally had gone off and everyone plowed out of their classrooms, to their lockers, ripped out their super thin and light book bags and were off, ready to do the many things that came with summer. Arnold counted to himself all the things he would do. Fishing with Gerald. Campouts in the back yard. Baseball practice. Swimming. Riding his bike. Roller blading. Having skateboard races with Stinky. Going to the beach. Trying to avoid getting a thrashing from Helga. Street hockey. Football. Getting Harold to coach him in wrestling. Dino Land. Frog catching with Sid. Yep. This summer was going to be perfect. @~@~@~@~@~@ It hadn't even been a week into summer before Arnold got bored. Sid and Stinky went to go visit Stinky's aunt somewhere in Georgia. Harold went to a wrestling camp. Patty and Rhonda went to Ms. Madeline's Summer Academy for Young Women. Nadine was always off butterfly catching or something. Eugene had gotten his leg broken and couldn't do anything for a whole month. The pool was closed for a week because some little "tyke" had a number two accident in the shallow end. Gerald's bike tire was flat and wouldn't get repaired for at least another week. Arnold's wheel on his left blade broke and none of the shops in the city had a replacement for his brand of blade. His skateboard had somehow broken in two and he couldn't afford to buy a new one. Helga had called him so many names that he couldn't even remember all of them. Phoebe always had her nose in a book, reading up on different things for the new sixth grade class they were going to be in next year. The line on his fishing pole had gotten tangled up of all things in about three thousand hooks. Plus it had rained so much that Arnold wasn't allowed to have campouts, baseball and football practice was canceled, and Dino Land was closed because of the electrical rides short-circuiting. He couldn't go to the beach because of a shark attack and there weren't enough people around to play street hockey. Arnold groaned loudly as the usual group gathered solemnly on his stoop. Helga sat to his left and Gerald to his right. Phoebe was below him and Lila and Brainy were sitting on the cement sidewalk, bored out of their minds. Helga looked at Arnold and shook her head. "You know, Football Head, you shouldn't make that face. It just might stick like that." She muttered and turned away from him. He scowled deeper and stuck his nose in the air. The Jolly Olly Man drove by and they quickly ran over. They all gave him their money and he gave them a different ice cream. Arnold grumbled angrily and bit into the cold lemon pop he bought. He gagged and pursed his lips. Helga laughed. "Told ya so." She cried. Arnold glared at her and leaned against the brick of the boarding house. "Nothing has gone right so far. I'm bored stiff! I want some excitement." He bit into his half melted pop and swallowed it down, licking his lips free of the sour taste. "Careful, Arnold." Lila muttered, her ever so perfect stature finally subsiding. "You just might get your wish. Remember what happened last summer." Arnold, Gerald and Helga all leaned backwards, resting their backs against something hard. They all knew what she was talking about. The previous summer, Sheck, big and bad CEO of Future Tech Industries tried to tear down their neighborhood; however, was stopped by three heroic kids, one of which gained no publicity, and she was happy with that. People would ask too much if they knew why she was there. "Yeah, Football Head. Don't go wishing for something like that. The last thing we need is some big corporate buffoon ragging our asses again." Arnold's face snapped in her direction. She looked at him and smiled wickedly. "Oh, grow up! You're acting like you never heard a swear word before in your life. Arnold shook his head in dismay. Lila moaned softly in boredom. "I wish we could find something...anything to do." Gerald's eyes flashed like wildfires and Lila noticed. "Something that doesn't hint at that, Gerald." He lowered his gaze and shot her a cold glare. "Where has your mind been, Little Lady? I was going to suggest you hear a new urban legend my man, Fuzzy Slippers, told me." Lila quickly turned beat red. Arnold glanced over at her and chuckled softly, and then he turned to his best friend. "Okay, Gerald. How does this one go?" He asked, his blunt curiosity getting the better of him. Gerald cleared his throat. "Elk Island. Some people say it was the..." "Heard it!" Helga cried out, remembering the time they had actually gone to Elk Island in search of a treasure and instead found a counterfeit penny operation. Gerald scowled at her and continued. "Some people say it was the birthplace of crooks and such, but I think it's the final resting place. Off the main island, is a smaller one, titled Volcano Island, for it takes the shape of a small volcano. Surrounding the volcano's base is a dense forest. You've never heard of it, I dare ask? Well, this island, cold and harsh, holds a secret. One greater than the Caves of Wheezin' Ed. A mystery more mysterious than the legend of Monkeyman. An enigma so rare that not even Big Caesar can compare to an inch of this. This mystery, my friends, has to do with two bandits." Gerald took a deep breath. "The Scott Squad, a true tale of a brother and sister worse than even Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid. Mandy and Clark Scott, were two kids, just like you and I, however, they were the most wanted bank robbers in the whole state of New York back in the 30's. They were also wanted for the murder of their mother and father, and the rape of many innocent children, boys and girls alike. It was rumored that they went into hiding, deep on the Volcano Island, where to this day, no one has been able to find their hiding place. That, my friends, is the secret of Volcano Island and the Scott Squad. The end." Everyone except Helga politely clapped. Instead, she grunted. "'Scott Squad'. Please, Geraldo. No one in their right mind would possibly believe that two kids, just like us, would be wanted criminals for murder, rape and theft." "It's possible, Helga." Arnold added. "Rape is a very common crime in the United States, now a days. I mean, taking advantage of someone has been around for centuries. In ancient Egypt..." "Did I ask for a history lesson, Arnoldo? No, didn't think so." She turned to face Gerald and put her hands sourly on her hips. "Anyway, how is that going to break this boredom we're all currently feeling? I hope you don't suggest we go searching for that so called 'hiding place', Tall Hair Boy." Gerald and Arnold exchanged glances. "Sounds like you're scared to check it out, Helga." Gerald countered. Helga's brow shot up in a questionable move. "Scared? Me? You'll eat those words. Come on. We're getting a row boat and we're going to find that little shack, just so I can prove that I'm not, nor will I ever be...scared of anything!" Phoebe chuckled to herself. "I can think of one thing you're afraid of doing." Helga shot her best friend a death look if she blabbed her secret, especially with "ice cream" standing so near by. @~@~@~@~@~@ Helga grunted her thanks as Arnold helped her out of the small rowboat they had rented. The afternoon sun beat heavily on their foreheads as they walked towards the edge of the forest. Helga looked around and noticed three out of the six kids had watches on, she smiled, noticing Arnold, Phoebe and Brainy were the ones who didn't. "All right, boys and girls." She said, getting everyone's attention. "If we are going through this...cockamamie idea, we're going to do it organized. No sense in leading everyone into a bunch of BS. Gerald and Phoebe, since you two are so keen on staying together, hint-hint, Phebes, you two take the southern side of the island. Lila and Brainy, you two seem like you don't mind beach walks, so take the beach all around the island. Football Head, that just leaves you and me. We'll take the northern boarder." Arnold smiled and nodded. "Okay, Geraldo, and Lila, we'll synchronize our watches. Be back here no later than 4:00. That way we won't have to spend our twilight hours on this creepy island and if someone actually found something then we can all go check it out. I got 1:34." "Same here." Chirped Gerald and Lila at the same time. Helga nodded her approval and the three sets began to go to their destination. Arnold looked at the dense forest in front of him and put his hand reassuringly on Helga's shoulder. She gave him a questioning look and gestured for him to go first. "Not scared, are you, Helga?" Helga glared and trudged after him. "No, not scared. Just nervous about being on an island that's named for a volcano. Who knows if it's still active?" She mentioned, tilting her head to see the huge mountain on her right. "Doubt it. Grandpa told me the volcano is dead, has been for some odd hundred years. They hardly ever come back alive after that long." Helga stopped in her tracks. "Well that's reassuring." She muttered sarcastically. Suddenly a great thick fog rolled out over the ground, completely hiding the two kids' feet. Helga looked down nervously. "Uh, Arnold, is that normal?" She asked, watching as the fog swept up around her ankles, creating a snake like image. Arnold shrugged and grabbed Helga's hand. "Just stay close. The last thing I need is my watch keeper getting herself lost so I don't know what time it is. She growled softly. "Thanks for caring." She muttered and Arnold smiled back at her. By now the fog had completely covered their chests. Arnold shivered a little from the cold and noticed that even though she was shivering and her teeth were chattering, he couldn't help but feel the slight trickle of hot something or other on Helga's hand. "Helga?" He whispered softly and noticed that she had stopped, frozen in her tracks. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth was ajar, gapped with terror. He turned his head to where she was looking, and just as he did, she let out the highest, ear-piercing scream, which was met by one of his own. There, standing before them was the largest shadow of a man they had ever seen. He was huge, with rippling biceps and triceps. His jaw was dropped, scarred from ancient battles, and in his hands he held a huge club. Arnold felt Helga's hand tighten around his own, and without a second thought, he was out light a light. Down from the blow of the club to his cranium. ~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~ Stay tuned for Chapter 2: Amnesia ~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~ Hey there everyone! This is the author, Kit Kat Kidd. Okay, this is just a promotion for my website, and I hope all of you are kind enough to put up with me. Please, please, please, come to it. The URL is www.geocities.com/kitkatkidd01/index.html